Edna Valley's 2011 Sauvignon Blanc is a summer treat

Lettie Teague, WSJ's Wine Columnist discusses Sauvignon Blanc, one of the great grapes of the world.

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It’s summer time, and amazingly enough in Southern California, someone forgot to order May Gray, and so far, June Gloom. Which means, of course, that it must be time to break out some Sauvignon Blanc.

Jhicks

Warm weather calls for the light and crisp taste of Sauvignon Blanc. And a recent shipment of that delightful wine from our friends at Edna Valley Winery proved the point. Warm weather, bright sun, light wines, a true match.

What was special for us with the Edna ValleySauvignon Blanc was that it was so just right for the Sunday afternoon with family. The group was primarily red wine drinkers, but this grapefruit-accented white set in quite well with all.

Edna Valley Vineyard, with its nearly patented long growing season, produces some of the better Sauvignon Blancs. The 2011, the one we enjoyed, is a classic example of what the winery has to offer. In addition to the normal grapefruit, this year’s growth released a high amount of citrus and lime on the nose. Like the fairy tale, not too much, not too little, but just right. The aromas permeate the air as you open the bottle, sending them swirling around for one to gently inhale.

On the palate, grapefruit tends to dominate, and as I love grapefruit, that too is just right. This is a slightly acidic white, again not too powerful, but since it is a sunny afternoon wine, it feels perfect on the palate.

With the Central Coast as the source, the sunny days of the growing season, combined with the coolness of the evenings and early mornings means that the grapes ripen fully and with all the characteristics necessary to bring the full flavors from the vine.

This is an easy wine to enjoy. With a fairly light alcohol content of 13.9%, it will not set heavily as the afternoon stretches out toward twilight.

As an aside, Edna Valley Winery has one of the prettiest tasting rooms in the area. Combine that along with this nice Sauvignon Blanc and you already have most of the ingredients to make a trip to the San Luis Obispo area a success.

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Jim Hicks is a wine enthusiast who seeks out the affordable wines for daily enjoyment. He enjoys sharing information about lesser known wines and particularly those of Mexico's Guadalupe Valley. He is also the LA Boating Examiner

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